About a month ago I took Dexter in to see the vet because he had a patch of hair missing on the back of his neck.  When the vet saw him she checked his ears (don't know if that had to do with the hair loss?) and said he is starting to form an ear infection.  His fur grew back, she said it was pulled out somehow.  Anyways..She cleaned his ears out and gave me a bottle of baytril to give him once a day.  The first 2 weeks I put the drops in his ears and brought him back again for a check up.  She cleaned his ears again and said he still had a little bit of an infection still.  She said it should be gone within a month.  So I made another 2 week appt and kept giving him his drops.  I brought him in today and she said that it's strange he still has the ear infection and asked if I was done with the bottle of meds which I am not . She told me to drop 3 drops in each ear and massage which I have been doing.  She cleaned his ears again today as well and I have to bring him back again next week for another cleaning and to check him.  She showed me how to put the drops in and how he has 2 ear holes.  I am doing what she has told me but I am thinking that I might be doing it wrong since it's not improving?  I put it in the lower ear hole and then massage the ear if that makes sense.  Does anyone have any suggestions or did your vet make you take your bunny in every week or 2 to get his/her ears cleaned?  I am feeling like this is overkill.  I just want to make sure.  Also if you have any experience with ear drops because I have been giving them to him for the last month and I don't know what else to do. 

 

Thanks guys   Sorry for such a long post

If the baytril is not clearing it up, the bacteria might not be susceptible to it. OR the infection is not due to bacteria at all. Could be fungal or mites which antibiotics would make little difference to.

Chacha has had a history of ear infections as well. She has been on many types of baytril and she is on an ointment called animax. I'm not sure if it is working (but there has not been as much scratching or head shaking since I got her on the meds) but I will be sure to find that out next week. Whenever Chacha gets an ear infection, she goes to the vet, gets the medication, and gets checked back up within a week in a half to two weeks!

I hope that he feels okay

It's strange because all this time I never saw him scratch his ears or shake his head. Even before she checked him for an ear infection. I will see what she says in a week. He doesn't seem to mind the drops, he just sits there and eats his cilantro as I do it. I just didn't know if that many ear cleanings is good for him. She never took a sample to check for anything it might be, she just used a cotton swab and looked into his ears with the scope and said he had an ear infection. This is the first time he has had an ear infection.

Lots of those ear infections going around. Bindi has one too. He's pretty much the king of ear infections. He's also on Baytril right now.

I suggest if the Baytril is not clearing up the infection, you ask your vet (or find another vet who is willing if he/she isn't) to do a culture. Certain bacterias are more susceptible to certain meds and by doing a culture you will know which med will be the most effective.

Bindi has had some very stubborn infections that lasted months. My vet does not clean his ears. She feels it's too much irritation and that any added moisture is just worsening the already bacteria-prone environment. I used to clean his ears weekly with an ear solution but I don't anymore. I just use kleenex and sometimes gently use a Q-tip with a twisting motion to get the gunk out.

The Baytril is hard to administer since the applicator tip is so small and those lops have such a long ear canal. Sometimes, I will put a few drops onto a Q-tip and then put it in his ear canal that way. Bindi is really good about Q-tips. Just make sure to be very careful if you do it this way.

((((Ear Vibes))))

Posted By LittlePuffyTail on 11/07/2012 03:46 AM
Lots of those ear infections going around. Bindi has one too. He's pretty much the king of ear infections. He's also on Baytril right now.

I suggest if the Baytril is not clearing up the infection, you ask your vet (or find another vet who is willing if he/she isn't) to do a culture. Certain bacterias are more susceptible to certain meds and by doing a culture you will know which med will be the most effective.

Bindi has had some very stubborn infections that lasted months. My vet does not clean his ears. She feels it's too much irritation and that any added moisture is just worsening the already bacteria-prone environment. I used to clean his ears weekly with an ear solution but I don't anymore. I just use kleenex and sometimes gently use a Q-tip with a twisting motion to get the gunk out.

The Baytril is hard to administer since the applicator tip is so small and those lops have such a long ear canal. Sometimes, I will put a few drops onto a Q-tip and then put it in his ear canal that way. Bindi is really good about Q-tips. Just make sure to be very careful if you do it this way.

((((Ear Vibes))))

--here is a link to a rabbit medical website--  http://www.medirabbit.com --bindi has-health concerns--your perhaps on the right track but this website should help alot,--i have concerns about your dvm,--sincerely james waller--

The vet did a culture and found nothing so she said the drops should be working. This has been over a month now with no progress of it going away but she wants me to still use the drops and put more in as well as try to get it deeper down the ear canal. I am getting upset now because I have spent about $350 for his ears and nothing has changed at all for him. I feel like a jerk complaining about his vet bills but it is eating away at his emergency funds. I don't know how much deeper I can get in his ear without hurting him I have to bring him in again next Monday for another ear cleaning. He has had 4 ear cleanings now.

I would talk to the vet about trying a different type of antibiotic. Often, with Bindi, that's what we had to do. So the culture showed nothing but the vet is still certain he has an infection?

Do you massage his ears well after putting the drops in?

I can relate to having a bunny with "million dollar ears". I've spent a lot of money on Bindi's ears in the past few years. Those visits and re-checks really add up.

((((((Dexter)))))))

Yes she said that the culture didn't show anything but to continue giving him drops and he still has the infection. When she put a Q-Tip in his ear the last visit she pulled out a ton of wax or build up. She said it wasn't clearing up at all even though I was giving him the drops everyday for the past month. I am going in there on Monday so I will ask her. I do massage his ears after the drops. I am just worried about him because he is not a happy camper with these vet visits and cleanings every week. This is his first ear infection and it does add up

Does she use a solution to clean his ears or just tools to remove the wax?

From all the infections Bindi has had, his ears are normally filled with a white pus/wax-looking gunk (called exudate). Cleaning the ears too frequently can actually send them into over-drive to protect themselves which creates more wax. Ceasing the cleaning (with ear solution) has been a good thing with Bindi's ears. I clean them every other day just with a Q-tip. I put it in the ear and gently twist to remove some of the wax. Bunnies who have had ear infections in the past will most likely always have a lot of wax build-up. Using cleaning solution too often leaves the ears moist which is a favored breeding ground of bacteria. If I were you, I would discuss this with my vet and try not cleaning for a few weeks.

When she is in the exam room with us she used a Q-tip and pulls out what looks to be wax, a lot of it. When she cleans his ears she takes him in the back to do it and when he comes back in the room he looks so stressed and frazzled. I will have to say something to her because if there it is not cleared up at all, even a little bit then there is a problem. I just feel strange telling a vet they are doing something wrong because I know they will just convince you it's the right thing to do. But I do see where you are coming from and do agree with you about the cleaning. I might just need to find a new vet.

I can relate. It's hard to try to tell a vet that you don't like their idea. I would just bring up the fact that his ears are going to keep producing more wax if they are cleaned too often, so you'd like to try a couple of weeks without cleaning since his infection is not getting better.

Just an update. Dexter's ears are finally clearing up and his last cleaning is in 10 days then no more! It was a long month but he should be good now. I am sure he is doing a ton of binkies for joy that this is almost all over. I talked to the vet about the cleaning and she said that if he was getting his ears cleaned everyday it would be bad, but doing it once a week isn't going to harm anything so who knows. I am just happy that he is going to be good to go. Thanks for all the responses and such

Glad to hear it!